Hibiscus as a Painting - Chapter 42
The young girl took a big gulp of the potent liquor, her smile radiant: "I first saw him when I was ten. Every year after that, I would find all sorts of excuses to go to the palace... to see him secretly from afar... When I learned that he was my future husband, I thought... I thought I was the happiest person in the world... But now... now I just want him to look at me one more time... just one time... I'm tired... really tired. Living is so tiring... living... living is so tiring..."
Zi Jin sat up, gently wiping away the girl's bitter tears, her eyes flashing with pain and pity: Can true love be tolerated in the palace? If love is so painful, then go for it.
Before me stood a girl, her face streaked with tears, her once bright eyes now filled with pain and despair.
If life were as it was at first sight, why would the autumn wind bring sorrow to the painted fan? ... The hearts of old friends change so easily, yet people say it is the hearts of old friends that are fickle.
Jun Chi, it's not that you've changed, you just want to live. Only those who are loved and favored can live well, right?
"Ha...ha, now that man has his own child, what...what should I do? What should I do?" The girl gulped down the heartbreaking liquor, her young eyes filled with despair. She stood up unsteadily and pointed around, "It's so cold here...so cold...so cold that it's hard to breathe...so cold that it's suffocating...do you know that?"
The girl slowly sat down next to Zi Jin, her clear eyes anxiously seeking an answer.
Zi Jin wanted to laugh, but couldn't manage it. She picked up the wine jug and touched it to the girl's, nodding slightly: "Very cold, very cold..."
The girl suddenly chuckled and tilted her head to look at Zi Jin: "He can't see my good qualities... He can't see my good qualities... It's his fault... Let's... drink until we drop."
Zi Jin picked up the wine jug and took a big gulp: Yes, he can't see how good I am to him, it's his fault, let's drink until we're drunk.
As night fell, Jun Lin walked into Chaoyang Palace with an unfriendly expression, and his personal eunuch, Xiao Wu, quickly came to greet him.
"Your Highness is overjoyed!" Xiao Wu said happily.
"What's there to be happy about?" Jun Lin asked casually, without slowing his pace.
"Today, Consort Luo encountered the Crown Princess and Consort Yunran in the Imperial Garden. We don't know what happened, but Consort Luo fainted. We servants dared not neglect her and immediately summoned the Imperial Physician. The Imperial Physician said that Her Highness is two months pregnant..." Jun Lin was shocked and stopped abruptly. He glared at Xiao Wu and turned to head straight for "Liuluo Pavilion".
Xiao Wu was puzzled, but he followed closely behind. After hesitating for a long time, he finally said, "Ever since hearing about this, the Consort has been drinking in the West Garden..."
"Does Father Emperor know about this?" Jun Lin suddenly stopped, raised his eyes and asked in a deep voice, his face cold and gloomy.
"Consort Luo said that Your Highness would tell you personally when you return, so I haven't had the imperial physician report it yet."
Upon hearing this, Jun Lin strode toward "Liuluo Pavilion," his hands already clenched into fists beneath his robe sleeves.
"Your Highness, the Consort has been drinking in the West Garden for two hours. I went to persuade her once, but I saw..." Xiao Wu raised his head and secretly glanced at Jun Lin.
"Continue!" Jun Lin's tone was filled with earth-shattering anger, and he had already entered the "Wandering Pavilion".
"I saw Your Highness and the young master of the Zi family with their arms around each other, completely drunk..." Xiao Wu hadn't finished speaking.
Jun Lin was startled and turned back without thinking, heading straight for the West Yuan Flower Garden.
Xiao Wu jogged to catch up with Jun Lin: "I don't know why the two of them started crying while drinking, their expressions were unusually sad, I wonder if there's some hidden reason..."
As Jun Lin entered the Xiyuan Flower Garden, he immediately saw Yun Ran and Zi Jin gazing at the bright moon in the sky with hazy, drunken eyes.
Yunran seemed to sense someone's presence. She swayed as she rose to her feet. When she saw that it was Jun Lin, a look of surprise flashed in her delicate eyes. She hurried forward with faltering steps, saying, "Your Majesty, I... wish you peace..."
Zi Jin casually raised her head, her eyes blurry with drunkenness, and looked at the bright moon hanging high in the sky as if nothing had happened.
"Send the concubine back to the palace. You may all leave," Jun Lin said, glancing at the two of them. His voice was completely flat, making it impossible to discern his thoughts.
Yunran stepped forward with great joy, but after hearing Junlin's words, she took two steps back and finally said reluctantly, "Your Majesty... I take my leave..."
Zi Jin turned around with a silly grin, waved to Yun Ran's back, then looked at the already pitch-black sky before swaying as she got up.
She hadn't taken two steps when someone blocked her way. Zi Jin staggered back two steps, and the person hurriedly reached out and gently supported her.
Zi Jin slightly raised her eyes. Under the moonlight, Jun Chi's exquisite face was so clear, his eyes filled with emotion and heartache. His worried expression was so pure and undisguised.
Zi Jin slowly reached out and gently touched Jun Chi's delicate face. Tears welled up in her eyes, which were filled with pain and sorrow: Jun Chi, why did you have the heart to deceive me like this?
Jun Lin pulled Zi Jin into his arms in a panic, his hands trembling slightly as he gently wiped away her tears: "Why are you so sad? Who upset you?" His voice was gentle and full of heartache like never before.
Through her blurry, drunken eyes, Zi Jin clearly saw the deep concern revealed in Jun Chi's gentle, watery eyes. Zi Jin suddenly felt an overwhelming sadness: Was he... was he lying to me even now?
"Don't cry, don't cry. Who upset you? Did that concubine talk nonsense to you? Don't believe them. I promised you I wouldn't let them have any children, and I will keep my word." Zi Jin's helpless appearance completely panicked Jun Lin. "If you blame me for going to 'Wandering Pavilion' so often, I will stop going in the future. Don't cry anymore, please stop crying."
Zi Jin raised her head and gazed into the clear, sincere eyes of the person before her: Don't believe them... Don't believe them...
Zi Jin nestled comfortably in front of the person and drifted off to sleep...
Jun Lin carefully wrapped Zi Jin tightly in his cloak, stroking her long hair, his eyes filled with tenderness and heartache. He gazed at Zi Jin's sleeping face, sitting there for a long, long time...
Zi Jin woke up with a splitting headache and saw the familiar curtains and sandalwood bed in Taiping Pavilion. She turned her head and saw Jun Chi's concerned expression.
Zi Jin sighed silently, closed her eyes briefly, then opened them and gave Jun Chi a tilted-head smile.
"Why did you go to Chaoyang Palace to drink alone?" Jun Chi's gentle eyes were filled with worry.
"These past few days have truly worried His Highness the Third Prince," Xi Bao added mournfully, standing to the side with a haggard expression.
Zi Jin was slightly taken aback: Drinking at Chaoyang Palace? No wonder that place felt so unfamiliar; she had unknowingly wandered off to Chaoyang Palace.
"You've been sleeping for three days already, aren't you going to get up?" Yu Luo said with a sullen face, holding the medicine bowl and glaring at Zi Jin as if she were angry.
Zi Jin was stunned again: Ming had slept for a long time, how come three days had passed?
"The imperial physician said that you have a special constitution and cannot tolerate alcohol, so it is normal for you to sleep a little longer." Jun Chi smiled reassuringly at Zi Jin, got up from the bedside and let Yu Luo sit down.
Yu Luo gently blew on the soup in her hand, her almond-shaped eyes filled with anger and helplessness: "Drink some hangover soup, and don't cause trouble again. If you really want to drink, just drink in Taiping Pavilion, why come to Chaoyang Palace? That night, when no one could find you, the Third Prince was frantic, and even Princess Xile, who is usually so nonchalant, was genuinely worried. Can't you just give people a break?"
Zi Jin listened attentively, nodding obediently as she drank the hangover soup in large gulps, wincing from the bitterness, but no longer showing Jun Chi a pleading expression.
Jun Chi smiled faintly, watching with satisfaction as Zi Jin obediently drank her soup.
Seeing that Zi Jin's attitude of admitting her mistake was good, Yu Luo's complexion gradually improved, and her movements became much gentler.